Patent GB-568163-A (GB)
Title: Needle scouring and polishing machine
IPC: B24B27/00
Filed: 1943-09-24
Abstract: 568,163. Polishing &c. needles. SINGER MANUFACTURING CO., Ltd., and McLUCAS, W. Sept. 24, 1943, No. 15735. [Class 60] A semi-automatic machine for scouring or polishing sewing-machine &c. needles in the course of manufacture, comprises a pair of quick-pitch rotary conveyer screws journalled in the machine frame, whilst at spaced points along the machine there are provided needletreating stations, each including an arm carrying a rotary brush which, in operation, rotates about a horizontal axis, and reciprocates axially and transversely in a horizontal plane ; the arm is swingable up into and down out of operative position, wherein the brush top is about level with the screws. At the front of the machine is a horizontal guide rail with gaps spaced therealong and at the rear is an endless conveyer belt; the needles are loaded by an operative in rows of, say, 50 or 60 needles into carrying tongs, being taken from the conveyer belt, and the needles may be held either by their shanks or by their point portions, so that both portions may be treated. The tongs, loaded with needles, are placed on the screws with a jaw of the tongs resting on the guide rail, and the screws are rotated intermittently to convey the tongs from station to station, where there are dwell periods during which the brushes rise and operate on the protruding portions of the needles ; in travelling from one station to the next, the tongs are turned at the gaps in the guide rail, through half a revolution, so as to present the opposite side of the needles to the next brush. At the delivery end of the machine, there may be provided a transfer device to lift the tongs, one at a time, from the conveyer screws and place them on the conveyer belt, whereby they are moved to the feed end of the machine, the treated needles being removed by an operative, and the tongs reloaded. Whilst the tongs are located at the scouring &c. stations, they are temporarily clamped in position by overhead clamps, which release them when the conveyer screws are again operated. The machine may be in two portions, the first portion treating the point portions, and the second treating the shanks ; the first portion may have brushes located one in each head, the brushes being first and second brushes of brass &c., third and fourth of copper &c., and fifth and sixth of hair &c., whilst in the second portion are first and second brushes of brass &c. and third and fourth brushes of hair &c. The brushes have applied thereto abrasive, chalk, &c., and an overhead brush may be associated with some or all of the lower brushes. The machine, shown in plan view in Fig. 2, has a pair of parallel quick-pitch screws 1, 2 running longitudinally, and at spaced points are the needle-treating stations A ... J, at each of which is an arm pivoted about the axis of a shaft 7 and carrying at its free end a brush 5. Along the machine adjacent the screw 2 extends a horizontal guide rail 8 with its upper edge slightly above the level of the root of the screw-threads, and provided at spaced points with gaps 9 ; a second guide rail 10 is provided adjacent the screw 1, and along the rear of the machine is an endless conveyer belt 11, whilst at the feeding end is a table 12 and between the table 12 and the delivery end is a table 13. A main driving shaft 16 is provided, driven by an electric motor 14, the shaft 16 driving a parallel shaft 17 by means of belt gearing, and the shaft 17 driving by belt gearing &c. the several operative parts of the machine. The tongs 22 for holding the needles, Figs. 8 and 9, comprise pivoted arms 23, 24 with steel jaw plates 25 faced with felt pads 26, the arm 24 having a tail 27 and a locking ring 28 serving to close or allow opening of the jaws ; in operation, the tongs are placed on the screws 1, 2 with the lower jaw on the guide rail 8 and the tail 27 engaging in the rail 10. The tongs are clamped in position during brushing by clamps, Figs. 5, 6 and 7, each comprising an arm 29 mounted on a shaft 30 carrying an arm 31 connected to a rod 32, the other end of which is connected to a bell-crank lever 33 pivoted on the machine frame 3. The arms of the lever respectively carry rollers 34, 37 engaged by cams 35, 38 on a shaft 36, and in the end 29<1> of arm 29 is a pivoted spring- pressed clamping pad 39; rotation of the cams serves to lift and lower the arm from and into the tongs-clamping position. At each of the stations A ... E and G ... I there is located a single brush, whilst at stations F, J there are two brushes, one above the other; the brushes at A, B, G, H are of brass, those at C, D, E are of copper, and those at F, I, J are of tampico or hair, and the metallic brushes are supplied with abrasive or polishing material, and the tampico or hair brushes with powdered chalk by the operative. Each brush carrying arm 4 has at its free end a bearing head 45 in which the brush shaft 6 is rotatable and slidable, being driven by a pulley 46 and belt from shaft 17 and reciprocated axially by worm gearing 48, 49. The arm is lifted and lowered by a cam 53 on shaft 36 engaging an adjustable cam follower 54 ; the pressure of the brush on the needles is regulated by a screw 56 engaging an arm 55 having thereon a pad 55<1> contacting the follower 54. The weight of the brush heads is counterbalanced by spring plungers, and the heads may be lifted manually by handles 64; adjustable transverse oscillatory movement is imparted by an eccentric 65 and levers 66, 68. The upper brushes 70 at stations F, J are carried by levers 77 and belt driven from pulleys 74 on arms 75. At the finish of a brushing operation, the tongs are lifted from the screws by means of an arm 79 carried by a vertically slidable and rotatable post 78, the arm having thereon spring influenced grippers 80, 81 which, upon lowering of the arm, grip the jaw and tail respectively of the tongs. The vertical movements of the post are effected by a lever 89, pivoted to the frame 3 and having on its shorter arm a follower 89<1> engaged by a cam 90, and rotation of the post, when the grippers hold the tongs, through 90 degrees to bring the tongs over the conveyer belt 11, is effected by a rod 91 moved through a cam 94; when the rod arm 79 has been turned, as limited by a stop 95, it is lowered, and the grippers open to allow the tongs to fall on to the conveyer 11, the gripper mechanism then being returned to its initial position. In operation, untreated needles are loaded into the tongs by two operatives at table 12, the needles being held by their shanks for treatment of the point portions and are turned by an operative at table 13 for treatment of the shanks. The tongs are turned 180 degree as they approach stations B, D, F, H and J by the notches 9 in the guide rail 8, the turning being caused by the action of the screws.